THE Lockyer District High School Dance Troupe has started the year with a bang by claiming some major awards.

Nineteen students from the dance troupe recently competed at the Ipswich Combined Teachers Dance Festival in five contemporary routines in both the junior and senior divisions.

The junior team won first and third place for their routines with the senior team claiming a second and highly commended.

Dance captain Meghan Clarke wrote the choreography for the first placed juniors.

“We were very prepared this year and we tried really hard,” Meghan said.

The style was also in their favour according to fellow dance captain Courtney Millard.

“We were doing what we were good at too because originally we had done some hip hop stuff but now we are into the contemporary,” she said.

Lockyer District High School dance teacher Linsey Groves said it was the first eisteddfod the students had competed in so far this year.

“We were so excited,” she said.

“For the first eisteddfod of the year that was awesome for us and there were some big schools there so it was great.”

She said the students had put in the hard yards to get the results too.

“They started in the Christmas holidays,” she said.

“The girls really had a big commitment this year so they came in on their own time and learnt their routines.”

The Lockyer Dance

troupe will next compete at the Ipswich Junior eisteddfod.